Innumerable attempts have been made in the past to provide an attractor or lure for flying waterfowl, that would induce the waterfowl to land in the vicinity of the attraction. These so called attractors are commonly referred to as decoys or bait.
In the past decoys have comprised; clumps of mud, and/or straw; tethered or caged live birds; wooden, plastic, and even solid metal replicas of waterfowl; and sheets or bags of paper or plastic that remotely resembled certain species of geese.
Bait on the other hand has always comprised natural food, since to constitute bait the item must be capable of being ingested by the waterfowl.
At least two prior art devices have been developed wherein a product of nature (specifically whole ears of corn) has been replicated to simulate bait; however, the replication process transforms the end result into a "food decoy".
In order for a "food decoy" to be legal under federal migratory game laws, the "food decoy" must not be capable of being ingested, by the waterfowl that it is intended to attract.
One of the acknowledged unpatented prior art devices, is a plastic replica of a whole shucked ear of corn.
The other acknowledged prior art device which is patented can be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 2,730,828. This patent discloses only the top half of a shucked ear of corn having one or more spikes disposed beneath if for inserting the food decoy into the ground.
Both of these prior art devices, while adequate for their intended purpose leave quite a bit to be desired, due to the fact that they are discrete elements, that in order to be effective must be employed in large numbers, and be carried to, dispersed around, and collected from, the vicinity of the blind that conceals the hunters.